With a 30-minute window between getting home from work and getting daughters Olivia, 8, and Sophia, 6, fed before ballet and soccer practice, Peter Levidis is always on the lookout for quick, easy and healthy meals. As an athletic therapist and strength coach, Levidis understands that the right foods allow for better performance. As a parent, he understands that, when it comes to food, kids can be hard to please. As a passionate cook, he often turns to the expertise of chef Michael Smith, popular host of the Food Network’s Chef at Home, for inspiration.

“I like simple meals that look nice on a plate, and he makes it look easy,” Levidis said.

Smith stopped over in Montreal recently on his way to Sherbrooke, where he served meals to the athletes at the Canada Summer Games. It’s the first Games to ban junk food from their premises, choosing instead to promote the concept of healthy food prepared with peak performance in mind.

”I’ve always loved cooking for athletes,” Smith said. “There’s something so pure about feeding a frenzied group of faces in between activities or before their next ritual of get-up-and-go. I like to think of food as an athlete’s equipment. Good diet and nutrition enhances energy and supports good sporting performance.”

Renowned for his uncomplicated approach to cooking and for demystifying a healthy menu, Smith collaborated with food-services company Sodexo to feed the Canada Games athletes. With the help of a nutritionist and Smith’s simple, healthy fare, the goal was not only to have the athletes perform at their peak, but also to learn to love good food.

“Now is the time to get the message out to athletes, that they need to get engaged with the food they eat,” Smith said. “I want to show them that healthy food is tasty, sexy and vibrant.”

Young athletes are susceptible to marketing campaigns that promote powders, pills and special beverages to enhance performance. Yet, there are very few supplements that rival the benefits found in real food. The trick is learning to buy and prepare healthy, natural food on an athlete’s budget and tight timeline.

Smith knows a thing or two about how athletes eat. He led the team of chefs that cooked for the athletes in Whistler at the 2010 Olympic Games.

“I led seven chefs and 100 cooks who prepared 13,000 meals a day and got the highest-ever food ratings in the modern Olympics.”

But the real inspiration for his back-to-basics cooking style is his kids. As soon as he started cooking for a family instead of just for customers, Smith began to realize the importance of good food and not just as part of the ever-growing food media industry. He wanted to show that cooking is easy and enjoyable.

“The abundance of cooking shows, cook books and magazines send a message that food needs to be perfect. But there’s no need to strive for perfection. Everyone can cook.”

Levidis has made cooking a family project. He watches Smith’s Chef at Home cooking show with his daughters, which has inspired them to cook as a team.

“When they make the veggies, they’re more inclined to eat them,” Levidis said.

The idea that it doesn’t take a lot of time and effort to cook a healthy meal is the kind of message that Smith is trying to send, and not just to athletes. He laments that parents feel they don’t have time to prepare a tasty, nutritious meal for their family at the end of the day.

“I will not accept that parents who do everything else right, still feed their kids Kraft Dinner,” Smith said. “I think the idea that we deserve convenience is ruining society.”

Levidis agrees.

“I’m busy. I’m active, but I’ve learned how to maximize my time in the kitchen,” he said.

As for whether he ever resorts to fast food or dinner from a box, Levidis prefers eating his own creations at home. He considers the time spent preparing and eating meals as family time. He also doesn’t mind the occasional dinner of homemade mac and cheese that in no way resembles the kind made with a packet of powdered cheese.

To point busy parents in the right direction, Smith has passed along a couple of the recipes he served to the athletes at the Canada Games.

“In the end, a healthy meal will make junk food look pale in comparison to the colourful and tasty options that you can provide from your kitchen,” Smith said.

Recipes

Penne with Rotisserie Chicken, Baby Spinach & Pesto

by Chef Michael Smith

Serves 4 to 6

This rustic dish shows off one of my favourite flavour combos ever: roast chicken and bright green pesto with chewy pasta, and dark green spinach tossed in for good measure.

These are true comfort flavours to me.

It’s nice to roast your own chicken, but just as nice to save time with a store-bought rotisserie bird.

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken

1 pound (450 g) of penne

1 cup or so of pesto, hopefully homemade

1 bag (10 oz./284 g) of baby spinach

Lots of freshly ground pepper

Use your fingers and a fork to shred as much meat from the chicken as you can. As the cook, you get first dibs on the tender roasted wings. Snack if you like!

(Reserve the carcass for making stock for another meal.)

Meanwhile, prepare a large pot of freshly cooked steaming penne. Drain the pasta in a colander, returning 1 cup of the starchy cooking water to the pot. Don’t rinse the pasta.

Stir the pesto into the water, add the chicken, toss in the spinach, and top with the steaming pasta.

Stir the works together until everything is combined and evenly coated. Serve and share with lots of freshly ground pepper.

Speed it up

On the Top 10 list of time-saving kitchen shortcuts is the ubiquitous store-bought rotisserie chicken. Just about every supermarket offers this tasty time saver. You can slice or shred its goodness into a menu of food choices.

Be sure to simmer its leftovers into a tasty broth, and you’ll save time for another meal.

Sweet Potato Vegetarian Chili with Cinnamon Sour Cream

by Chef Michael Smith

Serves 4 to 6

Few things are as comforting as a warm, steaming bowl of chili.

This vegetarian version is packed with so much flavour, you won’t notice the missing meat.

You will notice the familiar rustic flavours, the earthy sweetness of the sweet potatoes — and the colourful nutrition they bring to your table.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 cups fresh or frozen corn

1 can (14 oz./398 mL) of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 oz./398 mL) of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (28 oz./796 mL) of whole tomatoes

1 sweet potato, peeled and finely diced

1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

A sprinkle or two of salt

1 cup tender cilantro sprigs

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in your favourite soup pot over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and green pepper and sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to brown, 6 or 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin seeds, chili powder and oregano.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the spices are very fragrant — another two minutes or so.

Stir in the corn, black beans and kidney beans. Add the juice from the canned tomatoes, then coarsely chop the tomatoes and add them as well. Add the sweet potatoes and chipotle chilis.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the liquid is just barely simmering.

Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili begins to thicken, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the sour cream and cinnamon.

Just before serving, season the chili to your taste with salt.

Ladle into serving bowls and top with the sour cream and a tangle of cilantro and green onions.

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